The Official #4 Tennessee vs. #9 Florida Atlantic NCAA Tournament Game Thread, 9:00 PM ET, TBS

[iBleedOrangeWhite]

which is why a S16 is something to be proud of

Not when the entire cosmos aligned perfectly for you to make the first final 4 in school history, and you fail to make it past the sweet 16. Again.

 

[VolsAgainstTheWorld15]

Thank you Senior class for all you did to get us to the Sweet 16. Truly. I appreciate it. I’m also excited though to see a roster refresh this off-season. The inability to put the ball in the hoop (the entire point of the game) is incredibly frustrating.

Not a guarantee that the ability to score gets any better unless Barnes has a philosophical rebirth. If I had to guess, I would say we see 2-3 more years of defense oriented, bully ball under Barnes before he retires. I don’t expect him to stray from his “defense, defense, defense” philosophy.

 

[BreatheUT]

The rest of these teams scoring in the tournament. We look like the poorest offense of the final 16 and it showed today.

 

[HollowaytoSeivers]

Yeah, but you overlook that we were suppose to be smoked by Duke.

And Duke was a lower seed also.

Oh well...

 

[walkenvol]

And FAU is not a top 20 team - we just had one of our patented laid an offensive turd game.

 

[sechamp2012]

We were close in the first half to breaking this team. Then went dead cold had a 5 point lead, should have been double digits at half but couldn’t get it done. Could have broke their spirit but got a hit bunnies open 3s and foul shots.

 

[OC VOL FAN]

Maybe give Awaka some minutes???

I agree. Wouldn't be surprised if he transfers out after this. Wouldn't blame him. I really could care less of Phillips leaves either. He reminds me of James. 5 star who will probably never live up to that hype.

 

[JCP201]

Yep. Like i said earlier, TN’s best offensive teams didn’t even make it past the S16. It just “felt” better because fans like watching teams that score. At the end of the day, few will recognize just how great defensively this team was this year.

Or forget that we were number 2 in the country and had beaten Gonzaga, Kansas, Duke, Texas and Alabama.

 

[johnboyhunter]

Frankly, I don't think the issue is just PG, I think we don't have shooters or gamers. That is our issue. Oh well, Sweet 16 was great. Who we lost to was probably embarrassing but I felt this team was a train wreck (especially the way Missouri beat them in Nashville) already going into March and they lived up to their seed.

Just frustrating how some players don’t work out. I mean look at JJJ . He should be a 15-20 pt guy each game.

 

[I4Vols]

Not sure why I get invested in college athletics, seems to break my heart everytime. BVS is real.

Have you tried investing in women?

 

[barney]

Philips will transfer and be POY.

I do think he is probably going to transfer, unfortunatley.

 

[volinbham]

FAU is the type of team you love to cheer for in the tourney unless you draw them. The KSU game will be a track meet

 

[SouthKnoxVOL]

I saw him out there-- he wasn't rebounding well tonight.

No you didn't. He didn't play.

 

[Other_Guy]

I don’t think we choked. We played like we have since January.

They they shouldn't have whipped Duke and proceed to lose to a 9 seed and Mr 5'11 rebounder lol

 

[Jxn Vol]

At what point do you start to place blame on the player ? Bottom line is they have a job. That job is to score points and prevent the other from scoring. It's not a complicated game. Missing layups on Barnes ? What about free throws ? How many free throws you shoot as a kid ? They have to show up and play the game.

Next man up was nonexistent. It’s like watching our secondary under Martinez

 

[VOLtaism]

Did Awaka play? He may have helped with the rebounding. He didn’t play much, if so.

I don't remember seeing him the entire game. They outrebounded us by a large margin.

 

[The Tall Gguy]

The media went on a mission immediately after the Duke game to make sure that the refs would call a super tight game in FAUs favor. Tennessee most definitely does not stink. I have not seen a better team than Tennessee this year at its best (vs Gonzaga, Texas, Alabama, Kansas, Duke). This team is inconsistent. You have to be consistent to win.

 

[Tenacjim]

is in the best shape
I have to disagree with that statement. Our athletic program is in the best shape it has been in15-20 years and is getting better.

This is absolutely true. BUT, they will rip your f***ing heart out.

- Football team only has to beat USCjr to get into the playoff
- Baseball team is one of the best college teams ever and doesn’t make the CWS
- Basketball has a ”realistic“ path to the FF and loses to a lower seeded mid-major yet again

and yes, I’m happy for all we DID accomplish but damn I am so sick of getting my hopes up and continuing to be let down. I’m not a “nega Vol” just someone who has had a really sh*tty 3 years and would like my Vols to finish the job in one freaking sport for me.

 

[hardyemt_p]

K State would have pounded us next, so might as well get it over with tonight. GBO

 

[WRE3]

Block the other team out and you win the game. Worst defensive rebounding I’ve seen all year against a much smaller team.

 

[C-south]

When Santi has to handle ball handling responsibilities he is unable to spend time on the court working to get open . They play off each other .

You know what they say about excuses. It didn’t seem to be a problem against duke and although ZZ is a tough competitor he isn’t particularly a difference maker. We just got beat by “Average Joes”.

 

[JCP201]

No you didn't. He didn't play.

He is number 11? I saw him.

 

[aWhiteLoftonChism]

Was Awaka sick, injured, or did he break a rule?

 

[Volfan1000]

Inconsistent offense killed this team all season.

Being out rebounded tonight did not help the cause.

 

[GBO18]

We gotta get dudes that can create their own shots. It’s great playing tough defense but eventually you gotta score. Mashack was the only one that could drive to the basket with any success.